3621 
py 1 



Herald 




PAPER 






THE SCHOOL PAPER 



BY 



CHARLES B. GLEASON 

Vice Principal San Jose High School 



AND 

GEORGE I. LYNN 

Santa Clara University- 



San Jose, California 

Press of Eaton & Company 

1912 



JO 






(Copyright, 1912, by Charles B. Gleason.) 







PREFACE 



Like most teachers who are concerned with the School Paper, the 
writer did not take up the work because of his interest in it — that came 
later, — but partly because students came to him for help of one sort or 
another, partly because he was one of those to whom happened to be as- 
signed a task somebody had to do, and nobody wanted. The pages that 
follow are the result of a dozen years' observation of the workings of the 
writer's own school, and of other as he has become acquainted with them 
through professional literature, discussions at educational gatherings, 
and private inquiry. Perhaps what more than anything else led him to 
write it out was the inquiry of the editor of an Ohio school paper, whose 
letter ended, in capitals, HOW DO YOU DO IT? 

No attempt is made at academic discussion. The Educator will look 
in vain for profundity of thought or brilliancy of expression. The prac- 
tical teacher may say in criticism that he knew it all before. Very likely 
he did. The title might have been "What a Young Editor Ought to 
Know ;" and if he finds here indeed what he needs to know and no one 
has told him ; if he finds anything to help him in his difficult and per- 
plexing endeavors ; the purpose of the writer will be fulfilled. 

The senior author is solely responsible for Part I. To Part II he 
has contributed only editorially, this portion being the work of Mr. 
Lynn, whose experience as editor of student publications of various 
types enables him to speak of the matters under discussion from the point 
of view of the student. 

CHARLES B. GLEASON. 

San Jose, Cal., September 1, 1912. 



^m 



PART I— ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION, 

I. 
TO BE OR NOT TO BE. 

To many Principals the school paper stands as one of the vex- 
ations of his position — a "problem" along with fraternities, the 
cigarette habit, social excesses, and social vices, to be wrestled 
with, to be tolerated under protest, but as hopeless and as inevi- 
table as poverty and sin. I recall the triumphant satisfaction with 
which one prominent Principal announced that he had eliminated 
the paper from his school, and substituted an arrangement for 
space in a local weekly ; and more than one other who, while not 
openly opposing, saw to it that no possible obstacle failed to be 
•placed in the paper's path. One must freely admit that the his- 
tory of school journalism is not pleasant reading; that the course 
is strewn with unsightly wrecks ; that too often the school paper 
has added nothing to the reputation of the school, its manage- 
ment, or the cause of public education. Owing its inception 
to its claims to recognition as a stimulus to literary interest, it 
has fallen far short of these high endeavors : — utterly failed as 
a literary essay, fostered the frivolous and vulgar, and not the 
serious and elevated things of school life, weakened rather than 
strengthened true school spirit, and, especially in its financial 
management, been a scandal and a disgrace in the community. 
Too often dragging out a miserable existence, fitful spurts of 
energy followed by heart-failure, it has caused the long-sufifering 
teacher to echo the Autocrat, "I wish it would get well, or some- 
thing !" 

Yet all this is not really an indictment of the school paper in 
itself, but of the paper as often conducted. The school that has 
no school journal may, like the country that has no history, be 
a happy one, but it is with the happiness of stagnation. Journal- 
ism seems as natural expression of intellectual vigor in young 
people as athletics of physical vigor ; and the one and the other 
are almost essential to healthful development, and deserve en- 
couragement as much as do activities distinctively scholastic. The 
school paper has become a necessary part of every progressive 
school, and the interest of the school journalist and of the school 
alike demand that it be the best possible, and conducted in the 
best manner. 

II. 
STARTING OF THE PAPER. 

Possibly many of the failures and weaknesses of school papers 
are due to the fact that these have "done growed," and not been 
ushered into existence by any wise direction, or as the result of 
any forethought or careful design. 



6 The School Paper 

There are several questions to be carefully considered and 
definitely answered before the paper should be launched. First 
of all the kind or character. 

In the small school, the sole publication will very likely be the 
annual. This is, I suppose, something handed down from tlie 
college ; at any rate is is closely modeled after the maturer pro- 
duction, and offers the same temptation to extravagance of outlay 
and of expression. It is of a form and content almost stereo- 
typed, and needs little description here. 

Most schools of any size support a monthly, as a rule a maga- 
zine, in which literary matter — fiction, sketch, or essay — predom- 
inates. The final issue of the year, perhaps the midyear or holi- 
day number, is a "Souvenir" number, hardly dififering at all from 
the annual in a majority of cases. Humorous or artistic period- 
icals are not unknown, but so exceptional are they in the school 
that for practical purposes they may be disregarded. 

In a few schools the magazine is a weekly, apt to be a feeble 
imitation of the monthly, and differing chiefly in its cheaper and 
less attractive get-up. Of late a new type has appeared, in my 
opinion destined to prove a popular and valuable addition to 
school journalism. This has the form and general character of 
a newspaper, similar to the best type of college daily. 

III. 
THE ORGANIZATION. 

The kind of the paper settled, the next cjuestion is' naturally 
the organization — a matter of prime importance. We shall find 
papers handled by a class, by the school as a whole, with editors 
chosen in various ways by the students alone, by the teachers, or 
by the students subject to faculty confirmation — by a club or 
society in the school, or by one or more students or outsiders, as 
a private enterprise. 

All these plans have good and bad features. Students tend to 
support most loyally the paper that, they think represents them 
best ; and are lukewarm in their support of an enterprise tliat 
will profit only some individual : and a paper run as a school paper 
in the fullest sense is likely to be the best in quality, as well as 
in its reflection of the interests of the school. Again and again 
the editors must choose between a surplus in the treasury (with a 
possible deficit to face later on) and some special feature in the 
issue ; and it is hard for a manager to decide against his own 
pocket-book. I remember a manager who found that it was for 
his financial advantage to restrict the amount of typographical 
composition in his magazine ; so that his issues abounded in half- 
pages of blank paper, w^hile the articles and stories carefully 
arranged by his indignant and helpless editor found their way to 



The: School Paper 7 

the waste-basket. Then, too, there is a pretty general agreement 
among thinking students that service on the school paper, like 
work on an athletic team, should have loyalty for its motive, 
not personal profit. On the other hand, it is quite true that a boy 
who is working for himself can afford to devote time and effort to 
the work that one who has only honor to gain cannot ; and true, 
too, that the business end of the paper abounds in hard, time- 
consuming, and often disagreeable work, of undoubted commer- 
cial value, which receives from the school very little in the way 
of sympathy or glory. 

There is no question that the ultimate success of any periodical 
will depend upon the general support it receives from the school. 
And in deciding upon the organization, local conditions and to 
some extent traditions must be reckoned with. In the smaller 
school, with the closer acquaintanceship and relationship that 
generally characterize it, the school as a whole may be depended 
on to conduct its paper; the writer's experience- is, that when the 
number of students gets much above a hundred, pure democracy 
begins to fail of efifectiveness, and any management nominally 
of the whole school tends to become the management of a clique, 
a faction, or at least of a few aggressive spirits. It is not so 
much that so large number is unwieldy, as the necessary condition 
that the members of the lower classes, though numerically strong, 
are at a great disadvantage because of their lesser maturity. 
Nowhere in the whole school period does a seniority of two or 
three years mean so great a disparity in this respect. The case 
is the same, of course, with all student activities, but in none, 
I believe, does this produce such disastrous results as in connec- 
tion with the student publications. For this works lack of interest, 
and lack of interest which may be counteracted by extrane- 
ous aids in case of athletics or debating, is fatal to the publication. 

Much better is management by a class, as this class is apt to 
be the Senior class, older and maturer students, who will as a 
matter of class pride and spirit use every effort to make the 
publication a success, by their influence and backing make it 
stand for the school, and actually or virtually assuming the 
financial responsibility, ensure a sound management, or at least 
relieve school and teachers of any burden of unpaid bills. 

Club management is open to the objections of private manage- 
ment, and has others of its own. It is less amenable to control, 
its membership is apt to consist of students who will be prom- 
inent in other activities ; and in the legitimate rivalries and con- 
tests of school politics, these tend to consolidate into a clique, 
with unhappy results for the enterprise for which they were 
originally organized. The best results require some sort of 
co-operation between students and teachers, and I believe the 
best results will be had when the control of student publications 
is vested jointly in teachers and students. 



8 The School Paper 

In the San Jose High School the student publication was for 
years a monthly magazine which issued at first an annual, after- 
ward, a semi-annual Souvenir number. Almost every variety 
of management and organization was tried, and the paper passed 
through all sorts of vicissitudes. Later a number of students 
interested in newspaper work organized, under the direction 
of an experienced newspaper man on the faculty, a club for the 
issuing of a weekly sheet. They found their task at first an easy 
one. Advertisements came in, more than they had space for. 
Thev were able to distribute the paper gratis to 900 students, 
and then have a comfortable surplus. Finding that the manage- 
ment of the monthly assumed a decidedly hostile attitude — 
which, by the way, was accentuated by the candidacy of the 
editor of the new paper for student President — and that they 
had indeed practically drawn away from the monthly all its 
advertisers except those who considered their advertisements 
a donation, the club brought forward, at the opening of the 
school year, a plan by which the monthly became a purely liter- 
ary magazine, without advertisements ; and the club paid over 
for its maintenance a sum which, added to the subscriptions, was 
sufficient to run the regular issues, and pay part of the cost of 
the Souvenir numbers. Lack of hearty support from the stu- 
dents, who perhaps valued less what cost them nothing, con- 
tentions between the editorial boards of the two publications 
thus unequally yoked together, and errors of judgment of a 
business manager, contributed to the failure of this arrange- 
ment ; by consent the afifairs of both papers were placed in charge 
of a committee of teachers, who endeavored, in conference with 
the representatives of the two periodicals, to liquidate the in- 
debtedness, and rehabilitate the papers if possible. They formu- 
lated the following plan, which was adopted by the student 
organization, and has proved workable and, thus far, satisfactory. 

All student publications are supervised by a committee con- 
sisting of three teachers, appointed by the Principal, three stu- 
dents, chosen by the executive board of the Associated Students, 
and the editors of the two publications, one of whom is elected 
by the Senior Class, one by the committee itself. The editors 
choose their own staffs, subject to approval of the committee, 
which also appoints from its student-members an auditor, who 
receives all money collected by the business managers, and pays 
all bills allowed by the committee. The advantages of such an 
organization are that it brings the faculty into close touch with 
the school papers, thus avoiding many misunderstandings, and 
gives to the editors the advice and support of representative 
students not directly interested in the publications, and of those 
who from their greater maturity and wider experience can be 
of great service to them, especially in their relations with out- 
side parties. It helps, too, in maintaining all departments of the 



The School Paper 9 

publications on a business footing. Experience has shown that 
much of the friction between faculty and editors is obviated by 
this arrangement. The students are in the majority on the com- 
mittee, and can outvote the faculty members, often without any 
fear of later unpleasant consequences. Yet in spite of the fact 
that the older and younger heads hold widely divergent views 
on many matters, and these views are often held with consider-' 
able intensity, the majority has uniformly deferred to the judg- 
ment of the minority, and few steps have been taken by the 
managements without voluntary consultation with the faculty 
members. To be sure, this state of things presupposes several 
things : the encouragement of frank and free discussion of all 
matters ; willingness on the part of the faculty members to show 
reasons for their stand where it would be easier, and perhaps 
justifiable, to exert their authority; in short, that the teachers 
make it apparent that they are doing their best to promote the 
enterprise, not merely to hold it in check or place impediments 
in the way of its free progress. 

IV. 
FINANCES — AUDITING OF ACCOUNTS: SUBSCRIPTIONS. 

An important function of any editorial board is the auditing 
of accounts. This should be done at frequent and stated inter- 
vals — not less often than once a month, except where the annual 
is the sole publication. Collections should be in the hands of the 
auditor or treasurer by the day set for the auditing, and both 
business managers and other fiscal officers should present writ- 
ten reports showing the state of their accounts and bills payable 
and receivable. Bills payable should be considered by the edi- 
torial board, and if approved, allowed and paid by check. Pay- 
ment should never be made in any other manner. The bank 
account of a school paper will be small, and in itself of no profit 
to the banker. Yet any banker will gladly carry it because of its 
educational value. 

It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that every penny 
received be receipted for, and that the treasurer give his receipt, 
on a blank that may be identified by stub or carbon duplicate, 
for everything he receives ; and pay out by check only, taking 
vouchers wherever possible. For very small expenditures, such 
as for mailing exchanges, too trivial for check, cash should be 
advanced, and when the sum total reaches an appreciable 
amount a carefully itemized bill be put in, as in case of any other 
creditor. Or, a sufficient sum to cover such regular expendi- 
tures may be appropriated, to be accounted at stated intervals 
by the holder. Banks in their own business draw drafts for a 
few cents; but a check should not ordinarily be drawn for less 



lo The School Paper 

than a dollar. Careful attention to such matters effects two 
things : it aids in the formation of businesslike habits, and acts 
as a safeguard against the little leaks that tend to wreck an 
enterprise. 

In this connection it may be well to consider subscriptions. A 
good way to provide for a paper of general circulation like the 
school weekly is to make the subscription price an addition to 
the class or school dues, and collected through the same medium. 
This method is practically that employed by many organizations, 
for example, the California Teachers' Association, 60 per cent, 
of the membership fee of which is considered a subscription to 
the Association organ, or the Classical Association of the 
Atlantic States, the dues of which include subscription to the 
Classical Weekly. 

When the subscriptions are taken by personal solicitation, it 
will save much time and many mistakes if a few simple precau- 
tions are taken. The solicitors should be provided by the man- 
agement with receipt-books, the blanks in which should be num- 
bered consecutively before giving out. As an additional precau- 
tion, the blanks should be counted, and the count recorded. It 
must be impressed on the mind of the solicitor that he must 
account for every blank. If he makes a mistake, or spoils one, 
it is not the proper thing for him to tear out and destroy the 
blank, but he should mark it "spoiled" or "cancelled," and turn 
it in at settlement. If the book is lost, he is responsible for any 
receipts that may be presented and honored by the management. 
And settlements on account should be required at frequent inter- 
vals; the temptation to careless handling of funds belonging to 
someone else is severe, even in mature men, and solicitors will 
very likely be, many of them, the younger boys, to whom the 
responsibility is new and correspondingly great. 

Where a Souvenir or annual is sold on advance subscriptions, 
the receipt of the solicitor to be exchanged for the magazine 
when issued, it is well to have the receipt-books for different 
years or semesters of different size, so that an old receipt cannot 
be substituted fraudulently. If stock receipts are not used, but 
blanks specially printed by the management, it serves the same 
purpose if paper differing in color is used. Considerable con- 
fusion and possible errors are avoided, too, if a receipt represents 
but a single copy. 

It is a very good plan for every one who handles any con- 
siderable amount of money to give a bond to secure the school 
against loss through his default. This may seem absurd ; but 
the fact that a boy has obtained the suretyship of father, mother, 
or friend gives him a sense of responsibility that makes him 
more careful and particular, and helps to steer him clear of temp- 
tations. The bond may be of the simolest form, and need not 



The; School Paper ii 

be for a very Targe amount. The student and his surety should 
both sign, and their signatures be witnessed. In some States 
a seal is necessary. It is most convenient to have the bond run 
to "the Principal or his successor in office," but it may run to 
any agreed school authority. 

The following form is the bond required of the editor-in-chief 
of an annual who is responsible for the finances of his paper. It 
will readily be seen that for most officers a much briefer form 
will fulfill all the requirements : 

••KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS :— That we 

of in the County of 

and State of , as principal, and of said 

, as surety, are bound and obliged unto 

, Principal of the High School, 

in the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, to be paid to the said 
Principal or his successors ; for the payment of which we JOINTLY 
AND SEVERALLY BIND ourselves and our respective heirs, execut- 
ors and administrators, by these presents. 

"Given under our hands and seals this ._ day of 

, in the Year of Our Lord one thousand, nine hun- 
dred and 

"THE CONDITION OF THIS OBLIGATION is such that if the 

said shall well and faithfully perform the 

duties of his office of Editor-in-Chief of the 

of (June) 19...., as the same shall be set forth in the instructions given 
him by the Publication Committee and shall pay over or cause to be paid 

over to the General Manager of the Publications of the 

High School all moneys that shall come into his hands on account of 
said issue of the 

'•THEN THIS OBLIGATION SHALL BE VOID as to all liabili- 
ties incurred by reason of said editorship, included in the final account 

rendered to the Publication Committee of the 

High School by the said ; and to none other : — 

•'OTHERWISE this obligation to remain in full force and effect. 

■'Witness : L. S. 

L. S. 

V. 
THE BUSINESS MANAGER: ADVERTISING. 

The Business Manager .of the paper is, from a financial pohit 
of view, the most important member of the stalT. He has to 
secure subscriptions, solicit advertisements, collect bills, and in 
general see that the funds are forthcoming to put out the paper 
on which the editor has decided. The requirements of his office 
are address, energy, tact, accuracy in keeping his accounts, 
enough executive ability to handle his assistants, good judgment, 
and a keen insight into human nature. vSome advertisers, some 
patrons, he may safely leave to his assistants, some he must 
always deal with himself, and he must know which. The ideal 



12 The School Paper 

business manager is the ideal business man in embryo. Of course, 
it is in his deaUngs with prospective and actual advertisers tiiat 
he is tested out. The school paper is in a large measure [aid 
for by its advertising. Probably no paper is sold for what it 
costs; usually the subscription price ranges from one-fifth to 
one-half of the actual cost. The advertiser is apt to look upon 
his patronage as a gift. In many cases it is so. It is hard to 
make the advertisements of the monthly or the annual much more 
than mere business cards, and these are of doubtful value, even 
in professional newspaperdom. As a matter of fact, nearl}' all 
the matter in the country weekly, all "programme" advertising, 
and a good share of the permanent "classified" matter of larger 
sheets, amounts to a contribution toward the publication, and 
brings practically no return to the advertiser. Just in this place 
the school paper may be of the highest educative value. It is 
an open secret among advertising men that half of the money 
spent on advertising is thrown away. The invariable card, whicii 
amounts to a directory item, has its place, but is of extremely 
limited application. The display ad. of unvarying form, too. has 
its uses, but it must be such that its stereotyped design and the 
regularity of its appearance make such an impression on the 
reader that he misses it if it does not appear, or recognizes the 
name or form as something familiar and friendly when he meets 
it in another periodical, or on a sign, or in the course of trade. 
Some ads. should always contain specific announcements, or 
mention prices, or use some other device to catch the attention. 
The observant student-journalist will note these things, and 
learn a great deal about effective advertising that will not only 
be of immediate use, but be of value to him in future business 
life. 

The value of the advertising is to some extent increased if 
the paper appears on dates definitely announced beforehand ; 
and the merchant asked and encouraged to make changes from 
month to month, so he may make his advertisements fresh and 
seasonable announcements. Here the weekly, not in magazine but 
in newspaper form, has a distinct advantage. Advertisers who 
look askance at the monthly are very ready to patronize the 
weekly. The advertisement is in plain sight of every reader, 
for one thing; it may be a set card, on a display ad., varying in 
size, form, and position to suit the notion of the advertiser. Just 
the similarity of the sheet to the journals in which he custom- 
arily advertises predisposes the business man to regard this as a 
fit and valuable medium for any announcement like to interest 
students. And there is little doubt that the value of such a pai^er 
as an advertising medium is at least on a par with that of the 
local weekly. What this value is will depend largely on the loyalty 
of the students. They must be made to feel that their support 
of the paper is only secondarily the small sum they contribute 



The: School Pape;r 13 

as subscription. Of far more importance is it that they notice 
the advertiser, and so far as they can, patronize him. One easy 
way is to see that the paper readies home. Parents are far more 
interested than the boy or girl suspects in the details of school 
life. The story is well-attested of the agent of a publishing house 
who met with unexpected opposition from a certain school trus- 
tee, a blacksmith, and a man of no education. Investigating, he 
was surprised to find that the man submitted sample books to 
his son, a boy of fourteen, and voted for the books the boy 
liked the looks of. This is probably an exceptional case, but it 
illustrates a common occurrence. A school paper taken home 
is sure to be perused with considerable care by one or more of 
the adult members of the family. They will certainly scan the 
advertisements to see how they compare with those in the news- 
paper, or who advertises, and the result is pretty sure to be 
patronage of the man who patronizes the young people's journal. 
A college daily makes use of the following device, which is 
worth considering. Every advertiser is given a large placard, 
perhaps 12x14 inches, bearing in display type this legend: 

This House 

advertises in the 

DAILY PURPLE 

STUDENTS! 
PATRONIZE IT. 

and students are urged to trade where they see this card dis- 
played. It is true, most high school students do not make their 
ovi^n purchases to any extent ; yet they are not without influence 
in determining where the family trade, at least the part that con- 
cerns themselves, goes. 

A careful business man often "keys" his ads., i. e., in some 
way ascertains what returns a given advertisement brings in. 
This is not easy to do in case of a school paper, still, attempts 
to do it are not useless. The careful business manager, however, 
will accept keyed ads. only at the advertiser's risk. 

Advertising space must be sufficient to pay a due share of the 
expenses, and yet not too large in proportion to the reading mat- 
ter. It must be so displayed as to ensure as far as possible its 
being read, and yet not so as to seem the chief part of the paper. 
In the magazine form, the front cover, at least, and the body of 
the magazine should be sacred from advertising. For the news- 
paper form, the make-up of any first-class daily may afiford a 
model. 

VI. 

CONTRACTS: (a) WITH ADVERTISERS. 

Contracts with advertisers should be definite as to space. 



14 The School Paper 

time-, rate, and changes. It would be well if the solicitor made 
a note of these on a form arranged for carbon duplicate — the 
sales-check obtainable in packets at any stationer's serves the 
purpose — handing the copy to the advertiser on the spot. Few 
men will bother with a formal contract, unless they have a form 
of their own, or wish to insist on some special stipulation. 

Many will pay for the ad. in whole or in part in merchandise 
or services. In accepting ads. on these terms, the solicitor must 
be careful to take only those of tradesmen with whom the 
students themselves commonly trade ; and to see that the amount 
of the required purchase is not too large. 

-"^'0 517 THE SCHOOL HERALD 

^"^"^ ^^ j^---- i No 517 San Jose, Cal., 190.. 

„ ' ' ' " : will deliver to 

-Uollars ; ^^e sum of dollars 

on ; in merchandise and charge to the 

$ '< account of 

i THE SCHOOL HERALD. 

Business Manager. I $ Business Mgr. 

Form of Order for Merchandise. 

Thus, a shoedealer's card, paid for in orders of the denomina- 
tion of one or two dollars, applicable on a purchase for one-half 
of the bill, is worth taking, because any student can easily effect 
a purchase of such goods to that amount. In five-dollar amounts 
on the same terms it would be of far less value, since it is un- 
likely that many students will buy goods to the amount of ten 
dollars. It must be taken into consideration, too. that students 
are gregarious, and like to patronize certain shoedealers, certain 
tailors, certain confectioners, to the exclusion of others equally 
good, and do not easily yield even to parental behest to do 
differently from their fellows. I remember a letter written by 
a tailor, who had run an advertisement in a school paper, up- 
braiding the management in most indignant language because 
the students did not patronize him. He was undoubtedly correct 
in stating that his work was as good as Mr. Blank's ; but Mr. 
Blank continued to get the lion's share of the student custom, 
and this in spite of the fact that he was not rated very high 
among men, as a man or as a tailor. So, an order on a dealer 
with whom no student is likely to have any dealing on his own 
account — for example, a carriage-maker — is of doubtful value, 
whatever the amount or the terms. As a general rule, advertis- 
ing paid for in orders is to be avoided ; still, some is both safe 
and desirable. The popularity of a merchant is an element to 
be considered. 

Merchants who customarily pay for part of their advertising 



The: School Paper 15 

in this way, sometimes issue signed orders or scrip which they 
undertake to honor. In other cases the following plan has been 
found best. Instead of an order on the merchant drawn by the 
business manager of the paper, the manager issues scrip or 
credit-checks, and when he presents his bill receives in lieu of 
cash this scrip to the amount of the bill, signed by the adver- 
tiser. There may be one piece for the entire amount, or several 
for convenient sums. The manager determines the denomination, 
and when they understand the system, advertisers usually find 
it convenient and satisfactory from their point of view. Some will 
prefer the scrip to be of larger denomination, and are willing 
to "charge" small purchases by endorsement, until the whole 
credit is exhausted. This will as a rule bring a customer in for 
several purchases, as against one by a person who buys a piece 
of small denomination. Experience has shown the superiority 
of scrip like that described over orders, even if these are accepted ; 
the advertiser signs up when he receives his bill, so is not put 
to the annoyance of having to stop and find out whether he is 
in debt to the paper; the purchaser is certain that the scrip will 
be honored, and without annoying delays ; and to people unfamil- 
iar with business forms it is much more intelligible. 

Perhaps it may be well to add, the sale of scrip or orders is 
one of the hardest tasks the business manager has. He must 
think and talk scrip ; happy if it does not haunt his dreams. It 
is absolutely essential that no artificial obstacles be put in his 
path. One of the fundamental rules of the mail-order man is — 



^' No San Jose, 19.. 

^ This Certificate will be accepted as 
G cash by the undersigned, when pre- 
g sented in payment for merchandise of 
services, to the amount of 

H DOLLARS, 

g on account of advertising in School 



No.... 




Date 


$ 


Drawn on 


Sold to 



<u Herald 

O 



Form of Scrip Issued by the Paper. 



in case of complaint, refund the money without argument, ex- 
pressing hopes that the next purchase will prove more satisfac- 
tory. So it is a good rule for the manager, in selling scrip, to 
agree to refund the money if the advertiser does not accept it 
without demur. Let the argument be between the business man- 
ager and the advertiser, not between either of them and their 
common customer. 



i6 The Scpiool Paper 

VII. 

CONTRACTS — (b) WITH PRINTERS AND ENGRAVERS. 

Contracts with printers and engravers also form an important 
item in the management of the paper. Printers and engravers 
are not ravening wolves, lying in wait to entrap the inexperienced 
student, but they do not always understand his circumstances 
exactly, and they cannot be expected to look too closely after his 
interests. It must be admitted, too, that they are not always as 
scrupulous in keeping their engagements as they would be with 
other people. This is no doubt due to some extent to the fact 
that the student is not always particular to do his part as he 
should, but is unpunctual, careless about furnishing legible and 
well-prepared copy, or changes his mind about some important 
detail at the last moment, after the printer has gone to the 
trouble to provide stock or engage special help. In what fol- 
lows, I shall speak particularly of the printer's contract, since 
that of the engraver is rarely more than a verbal order, his 
rates being determined by a fixed scale of prices. 

Since the contract will in the nature of things be made for not 
longer than a year, no writing is necessary to ensure its validity* 
On the other hand, a written contract shows exactly what each 
party has agreed to do, and obviates disputes and misunder- 
standings. 

As in case of the bond, no particular form is requisite. All 
that is required is a memorandum stating in plain terms what 
the agreement is, signed by both parties. What is to go into the 
contract is of more importance. It should be stipulated on what 
kind of paper the journal is to be printed ; if a magazine, the 
kind, quality, perhaps the color of the cover ; the size or style of 
type to be used ; the frequency of issue; the number of pages, and 
price per page for the desired number of copies. If there are to 
be engravings requiring a special paper, that should be noted. 
Special mention should be made of folding, since with some 
houses this is an extra charge. Of course, much of this may be 
omitted if either party submits a sample, and the agreement is 
to make the proposed periodical similar to the sample in all or 
specified respects. Thus, the following, in form of an offer or 
bid, when accepted by the proper officer of the paper, becomes 
a valid and sufficient contract: 



*Our inherited law of contracts, adopted or enacted in all the States, 
provides that an agreement or some memorandum thereof must be in 
writing, and signed by the party to be charged or someone authorized to 
sign for him, unless the agreement is to be performed zvithin the space 
of one year. 



The School Paper 17 

"To the Editor of the : 

Dear Sir : 

We will print the June issue of the , 650 

copies, 158 pages, in all respects like the issue of January, for $450. 
Extra pages, $2.53 per page. 

Very truly yours, 

THE ART PRINTING CO., 
Another, with more details : Y ■ ■> anage . 

"To the Editor of the : 

Dear Sir : 

We will print your June issue according to the following speci- 
fications : 

650 copies, 176 pages, extension cover, two colors and embossed; 
stock to be same as used in June, 1910, issue — 32x46, 120 lb. If 140 lb., 
to be $15 extra. 

Approximately, 15 pages 8 point type 
80 pages 10 point type 
50 copper half-tones 
500 inches of line cuts ; 
One two-color insert page, pin embossed, heavy pink paper, 
for $497. 

Insert pages of white parchemin, not printed, to be $1.00 eacli. 
Imprinting in second color, one page $3.00 ; where two pag-es can be run 
together, $1.75 per page. 

Very truly yours, 

THE ART PRINTING CO., 

By A. B., Manager." 

Where there are several issues, as of a monthly or weekly, 
rates should be included for the normal number of copies of the 
size specified, and also for additional copies or additional pages 
in any issue. In most cases, the price of additional copies should 
be materially less, as the cost to the printer is little more than 
stock and pressman's time. 

P'or the school newspaper, some further details are needed. It 
should be stipulated that the quoted price includes ads. in dis- 
play or job type; if desired, a limit may be set to the space to 
be occupied by such matter, but in practice that will settle itself. 
At any rate, it ought to be specified how much display type is 
to be used in column headings. If composition is linotype, this 
may be hand-work, and more expensive to the printer. There 
are sure to be times when the matter wished to be printed will 
be in excess of the regular amount. Then it will be desirable 
or necessary to enlarge the paper. This may be done in several 
ways : by adding extra pages, sometimes the best and the only 
Avay, but often expensive because of the extra labor of assemb- 
ling and folding; by adding an extra column, sometimes an 
awkward thing for the printer, and making neat binding im- 
possible ; or — generally the most feasible way — changing the 
size of type. It is well to provide in the contract for all these 
possibilities, and to fix prices allowing change of dress in whole 
or in part. 

The success of a school paper, financially, depends to a great 



1 8 TiiK School Paper 

extent on the promptness and regularity with which it appears. 
The printer should therefore covenant to deliver at a specified 
place on a specified day and hour, and if so, a corresponding 
time should be set at which all copy shall be in his hands. Very 
reasonably he may stipulate regarding time and manner of pay- 
ment. If he understands that prompt payment will follow his 
exact performance of his contract, he will do his best to perform 
it to the letter. 

The following forms of contract for school papers of dififerent 
types may be instructive : 

I. 

"THIS AGREEMENT is hereby entered into between A. & Co., 
Printers, B. C, Manager, and "The Bell," C. D., Editor. 

A. & Co., agree to print, bind, and deliver 650 copies of "The Bell" 
of the X High School, upon the following specifications : 

176 pages, divided about as follows — 48 half-tones, 15 line cuts, 15 
No. 8 type, 76 No. 10 type, 16 ads., 6 small display. 

Stock 140 lb. Peerless Enamelled, cover High Grade. Inside 
printed black ink, 2 inserts in two colors, cover printed in colors or em- 
bossed relief. 

PRICE, Five hundred ($500) dollars. Additional pages @ $2.50; 
extra color on insert page @ $1.50. Additional copies $6.25 per 25. 

Copy and cuts to be furnished printer : commencing May 2nd., sec- 
ond quarter by May 16th., 3rd. quarter by May 20th., last by June Ist. 
Issue to be delivered on or before June 20th. 

The "Bell" management agrees to the above, and further that paj''- 
ments be made as follows: One-fourth May 1st., one-half within ten 
days following- delivery, and balance within thirty days. 

(Signed) 
A. & Co., C. D., 

by B. C, Manager. for "The Bell." 

April 19th., 1911. 

II. 
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT. 

Entered into between E. & Co., printers, and "The School Herald," 
per manager, for a period of one school year, namely the school year 
1910-1911, as follows: 

E. & Co., agree to print The School Herald, weekly, 1000 copies, 4 
pages 121-2.xl7, 5 columns. Standard book, 10-point type, including ads., 
for $19 per issue. 

Also, to print similar paper in six pages for $31.50 per issue, and 8 
pages for $40.C0 per issue. These increased sizes to be issued not oftener 
than monthly unless by special agreement. 

If set in 12-point type, a reduction of 25c per column will be made, 
if set in 8-point type an increase of 25c. The size of the paper may be 
increased from five to six columns for any issue at the option of the 
management, and for such increase the charge shall be $5.75 extra for 
four pages. Additional copies will be furnished for 50c per 50 copies. 

The management of The School Herald agrees to pay E. & Co. for 
printing the said Herald at the rates above stipulated ; and to furnish 
copy one and one-half days previous to issue. 

Witness the signatures of the manager of The School Herald and 
the management of the firm of E. & Co. this 22nd day of September, 
A. D. 1910. 

Manager. Manager. 

For E. & Co. For School Herald. 



The; School pArER 19 

Of course, in a contract of this kind, where one party is a 
minor, while the printer is legally bound by his agreement, the 
student is not. This is no real objection to the written contract, 
for, in the first place, it is equally true of the verbal agreement; 
znd in the second place, the minor, while not liable on the con- 
tract, may be liable for fraud. Few printers will object to it. 
In a case that came under the writer's observation, an editor, 
finding that the limit set by the school authorities to his ex- 
penditure upon a Souvenir number would not permit him to in- 
clude some features he desired, ordered the additions made, 
without consulting anybody, and when the printer demurred, 
said, "Go ahead, the School will stand back of me; there's plenty 
of money." The result was a deficit of over a hundred dollars, 
which the school very properly declined to make up. The stu- 
dent sought to avoid responsibility on the plea that he was a 
minor. But it was so evident that his act was one of misrep- 
resentation and fraud that he was held liable and compelled to 
make good the debt. 

Some printers require a bond, for greater security, but as a 
rule they rely on the honor and good intentions of the student. 
The manager of a house that makes a specialty of school and 
college publications told me that he had never lost a cent in his 
dealings with students, though he often had to wait for his 
money. 



VIII. 

THE EDITOR — CENSORSHIP. 

The editing of the paper requires besides judgment and ex- 
ecutive ability, a degree of literary ability, a sense of proportion 
and of fitness. The editor must decide what literary matter is 
suited at once to the type of periodical he is running, and to the 
taste of his patrons. He ought to have a keen scent for the 
plagiarized contributions that our school papers too often have 
to apologize for. The amount of matter of a given kind that 
shall go into an issue is his to determine ; and he must be able 
to reject the unfit or the superfluous with a sole regard to the 
effect on his issue. This is not an easy thing, even for the ma- 
ture editor: witness almost any issue of almost any periodical. 
But a harder thing — and one the professional does not have to 
think of* — is to deal with his contributors so as to develop tal- 
ent, and encourage contributions without accepting inferior stuff 
or seeming to be arbitrary or hypercritical. 

*Richard W. Gilder is a possible exception. The student editor will 
find very suggestive what is said of his editorial methods in the Cen- 
tury Magazine for February, 1910, and March, 1911. 



20 The School Paper 

The editorial staff may be worth a passing remark. Too fre- 
quently the sole aim of the editor is to distribute the departments 
among his personal friends, with little regard to their qualifica- 
tions. This is possibly in return lor their services in electing 
him to a position for which he is equally unfit. Some schools 
establish fixed rules of qualification ; in others the same end is 
attained by requiring the editor to submit the list of his nomi- 
nees and discussing it with him. It happens now and then that 
the editor is only too glad to be saved from his friends by some 
higher power. 

Newspaper work has a strong fascination for many of our 
boys, and a large school, in the West at any rate, is rarely with- 
out students who are actually doing work on the staffs of the 
local journals; many go from school directly to the newspaper 
office. It would be idle to claim that the ordinary school gives 
any direct training for practical journalism. Yet there is an 
opportunity here that. should not be neglected. The school news- 
paper at least can organize its staff somewhat on the lines of a 
city daily : with a business department every member of which has 
his definite duty to perform — advertising, collections, circulation, 
subscriptions, etc. ; and an editorial department, with editorial 
writers, a news editor with his reportorial staff, paragrapher, 
and literary editor. Training can be had that will be well worth 
the time given to the work ; and talent will be developed the 
existence of which was unsuspected by the class-instructor or- 
the student himself. 

Right here comes in the vital question of censorship by the 
teachers. Student editors should be thrown as much as pos- 
sible on their own responsibility. But even under the best con- 
ditions many teachers think that there is yet need for a strict 
supervision of the matter that goes into the paper. For the paper 
stands to the outside public for the school, and the teachers are 
vitally interested to see that it represents the best sentiment 
among the students, and that it is one of the highest. And the 
best of editors is apt to lack perspective, and to fail in judgment 
or in vigilance. During a period of heated political strife, in 
which the High School had unfortunately become a storm-centre, 
a clergyman who had taken a prominent part in affairs took 
occasion in a public speech to make some ill-considered state- 
ments regarding the school. The students were rightly indig- 
nant, and the editor of the school paper, in a very caustic article^ 
charged the gentleman with lying. That the charge was true 
was undoubted. But the interest of the school demanded that 
the utterances be passed over as something due to the excite- 
ment of the moment, and the editor's act, the motive of which 
was loyalty, only fomented the bitterness of the controversy. 

There are two departments that certainly ought to be strictly 



The School Paper ^r 

censored. One is the editorials. Some of the best issues I have- 
ever seen were marred by editorials written without due deliber- 
ation, or colored by feeling entirely personal or by misapprehen- 
sions easily removed when they became known. The editorials 
are too important a part of the paper to be carelessly handled. 
The Principal can be of great service here. An editor-in-chief 
properly chosen ought to be in the Principal's confidence. It is 
a common saying that the newspaper man is the safest man to 
trust with your secret. What he picks up in the course of his 
labors, or ferrets out, he considers his property, to be used for a 
"story" when it suits his purpose. But he can generally be de- 
pended on not to divulge prematurely what is told him in con- 
fidence, or to make an improper use of it. So the student editor 
can, I beHeve, generally be trusted with inside information on 
matters of school policy, and the result will be the elimination of 
editorial utterances ' attacking the school administration, owing 
to inaccurate information, or misapprehension of what is the. 
actual intent of the Principal's action. 

The other department is the "josh column," dear to the heart 
of most pupils. Every school furnishes plenty of humorous in- 
cident, and localisms, though not very intelligible to the outside 
vs'orld, are best appreciated by the student body. It is a question. 
for the most careful discrimination how far personalities should 
extend. A general rule may be laid down that grinds or hits 
must not be ill-natured, must not humiliate or wound. It goes 
without saying that the coarse or vulgar must be rigidly exclud- 
ed. Many teachers and pupils lend themselves to ridicule, and 
good-humored fun-making, if not carried too far, may not be 
objectionable. I have known a take-off to cure a teacher of 
careless habits of dress and manner where the serious admon- 
itions of the Principal had failed of effect; and the severest in- 
dictment brought against an editor whose administration was m 
question was that only his "set" won mention in the joke-column. 
But the line between the permissible and the reprehensible is a 
difficult one to draw, and the point of view of the teacher-cen- 
sor is worth obtaining. If my reading of school journals is not 
at fault, there is room for the teacher's taste and direction, too, 
in the use of paste and scissors. .To be sure, when even the fam- 
ous "Drawer" admits jokes that might have charmed King 
Pepin's infancy, one must not be too hard on the student editor 
who fails to reverence old age in witticisms. Still, some jokes 
have certainly earned repose. And next to having your own jest 
retailed with the whole point left out, I do not know anything 
more exasperating than to find yourself credited with a jest you 
would never have been guilty of perpetrating — a scissoring in 
which the editor has obtained local color by inserting home 
names in place of those he found printed. 



22 The School Paper 

IX. 

POSTAL ENTRY. 

When the paper is well established, the question will arise of 
entry as second-class matter at the Post-Office. Now if there is 
any place in the public service where circumlocution-office meth- 
ods prevail, more than anywhere else, it is the Post-Office De- 
partment; and this is especially true just in this thing. The 
editors of school papers have given up in despair because of the 
obstacles presented by departmental red tape. Yet it is worth 
wdiile to secure second-class entry, aside from the privileges of 
registration, because of the dignity it gives a publication. 

The requirements of the law itself are simple, and should be 
exactly followed. A publication must be issued at regular in- 
tervals, must state time and place of publication, be numbered 
consecutively, and give the subscription price and name of editor 
and publisher. Note of the entry when made (and care must be 
taken not to state that the paper has been entered before the 
official permit is received) must be in a set form of words which 
the post-office will prescribe. In his application, the editor must 
state under oath his circulation, what disposition is made of every 
copy of the issue of nearest date, and certify that at least half 
the issue goes to actual paying subscribers, a list of whom he 
had best submit. If the subscriptions are taken by solicitors, 
and receipts given, the stubs will afiford an easy and perfect 
proof of the subscription-lists. If, as was suggested in Chapter 
IV, subscriptions are collected with student dues or taxes, the 
management must be prepared to show that the subscription is 
not in itself a tax, but that individual students are given an op- 
tion, and subscribe voluntarily. A good piece of advice is, take 
the Postmaster into your confidence, and do everything he deems 
necessary or advisable. 

In conclusion, the school paper is an important and increas- 
ingly popular factor in school life. But its value depends en- 
tirely on the way it is conducted. It requires and deserves the 
careful study, the persistent effort, the intelligent interest of 
both teacher and student. Its successful conduct calls for the 
employment of the best business methods ; and as it may if 
loosely and thoughtlessly conducted be pernicious in its influ- 
ence on its managers and on the school, so under best conditions 
it may be made a most helpful and practical school both for 
actual journalism and for business life, and a centre from which 
radiates school spirit in the fullest and best sense of the words. 



The School Paper 23 

PART II— THE MECHANICS OF THE PAPER. 
.... ^ 

PURPOSES AND POLICY. 

Under the title Mechanics will be discussed everything that 
concerns the make-up, the operation, and the printing of the pa- 
per, and the various processes involved in the preparation of the 
printed sheet. 

At the outset, it is of first importance that the editor set clear- 
ly before himself the purpose of the publication, and the office it 
really performs. This is the key to the whole situation ; for these 
things decide the type of paper that is to be put out, and shape 
its policy. 

The school paper is primarily a picture of school life. That is, 
whatever secondary purpose the publication may serve, it must 
first of all be a record of school events, a register of school 
names and faces. To make a paper what this implies, the col- 
umns should be opened as freely as possible to articles and 
stories representing every school interest. Names of students 
participating in the various activities should be recorded impar- 
tially and consistently, and as much use made of portraits as is 
possible. This is of no mean importance viewed merely as an in- 
ducement to the students to subscribe for the paper. 

It need not be said that the paper must be pleasing in appear- 
ance and interesting. Indeed, attractiveness is an indispensable 
quality. A large expenditure of money is an aid, not a require- 
ment, in making the appearance attractive. Every idea, whether 
expressed in the. organization of the contents, or in the original- 
ity and the treatment of the material, should be directed toward 
the attainment of this end. How important this is can be under- 
stood when it is remembered that the sale of the great newspa- 
pers and magazines depends much on the general appearance of 
the publication, and some of the highest salaried men are em- 
ployed in making the appearance attractive. 

System in arrangement is perhaps the principal factor in de- 
termining the general effect of the publication. The contents 
should be arranged under headings in some logical system. 
Thus, in a magazine a systematic scheme of headings for depart- 
ments may be : — introduction, literary, classes, school notes, 
athletics, facetiae, advertisements. Pictures should also be ar- 
ranged logically ; and those filling the same office should bear a 
harmonious relationship in size, shape, finish, and position. 
"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy ; 
But not express'd in fancy — rich, not gaudy." 
A small book with clever illustrations is more to be desired than 
a big book with uninviting, monotonous pages. 



24 The School Paper 

Originality finds ample field for exercise in the use and ar- 
rangement of stories, engravings, inserts, in the style of type, 
and in the cover. One often finds a high degree of originality 
and artistic talent displayed in the cartoons, mat-decorating, and 
designing of school papers. 

On the other hand, it is here that poor judgment is otten 
shown ; a disproportionate percentage of the funds are expended 
upon the cover, or some other one feature. No feature ought to 
be conspicuously superior or inferior to the rest of the paper. 
The publication should harmonize throughout, with emphasis on 
groups of important features. 

II. 
REVENUES OF THE PAPER. 

The size and style of publication must be decided upon at the 
outset, but nothing can be done until the resources have been in- 
vestigated. The revenue will be found to come from three 
sources ; subscriptions, advertisements, and donations. 

The subscription money will be found to depend directly upon 
the number of copies sold and the price charged per copy. Es- 
timates should in a large part be based upon the sale of the pub- 
lication in previous years and at times when the conditions are 
similar. Fluctuating forces influence the sale of any publication. 
A large sale may safely be counted on for a souvenir issue, when 
sold at the end of the school year, and this sale will be in a direct 
ratio to the size of the graduating class. If no other statistics 
are available, one will not be far astray in calculating a sale of 
copies to 60 per cent of the students. The advance sale of the 
publication is a reliable means of determining to what extent 
the sale will run. 

Advertisements are an important source of revenue. The edi- 
tor should begin by determining the amount of space that can 
be utilized for advertisements and the sum of money that must 
be obtained for this service. The price per column inch and the 
price per page should be fixed at this time. 

Donations are little more than advertisements of the students. 
They pay for the printing, engraving, and space, as do the mer- 
chants. The income from this source may be estimated with a 
large degree of accuracy in advance. The school organizations 
may be required to pay for the space devoted to them. The ex- 
pense incurred on account of each organization should be deter- 
mined, and charges levied accordingly. For exaniple, an organ- 
ization having one page of composition and one page of engrav- 
ing is assessed $10.00. The items are: photograph, $1.50; print- 
ing, two pages at $2.25; engraving, /|x8 inches at i2K>c, $3.50; 
margin, profit or incidentals, $.50. 



The School Paper 25 

A class which is responsible for a publication, or a graduating 
class which is especially concerned with a souvenir issue, may in 
like manner be required to contribute in proportion to the space 
assigned to them, or they may make such donation as is possible. 

The various societies and organizations as well as individuals 
should bear the expense of their own photographs. Athletic 
teams, student officers, and the like, are not ordinarily assessed. 

Although some attention should be paid to distributing the 
funds among the various heads of expense, no definite amounts 
can be settled upon until the printer's contract has been drawn 
up. Then it is advisable to apportion the money in various sums, 
as, for printing, engraving, and incidentals. The amounts so 
apportioned should be definitely fixed, and all plans made to con- 
form to these appropriations. 

Regarding the estimates made above, it is advisable to examine 
the figures with great care before contracts are drawn up. Fur- 
thermore, a margin of at least 15 per cent should be left on all 
items that can not be accurately determined. This usually would 
mean a discount on the estimates on subscriptions, and advertise- 
ments. This precaution may keep the paper out of debt, if the 
funds fall short of the calculations, and in case the full amount 
is realized the money may be utilized to good advantage, as in 
engravings, in a better grade of paper, etc. 

III. 
MAKING THE CONTRACTS. 

The printer's contract should be made first. When approach- 
ing the printer the editor will do well to submit a book which in 
size, binding, paper, type, and space in engravings resembles the 
book to be issued. It is necessary at the same time for the stu- 
dent publisher to be familiar with specifications to be made in the 
contracts, as suggested in Pt. I, Chap. VII. 

Whether or not the specifications shall be submitted for com- 
petitive bids will be a matter for careful consideration. In some 
cities organizations or combinations of printers exist, the effect 
of which is to compel the acceptance of the highest bid. In such 
a case it is wisest to select a reputable printer, and obtain from 
him the best figures possible. 

Engravings or cuts may be verbally contracted for. The price 
per square inch of copper half tones, zinc half tones, line cuts, 
embossings, steel dies, and additional color plates should be in- 
cluded in the agreement. Engravers commonly charge a "mini- 
mum price" ; that is, a fixed price for all cuts smaller than a 
specified size, with which the scale of prices per square inch be- 
gins. For example, a minimum price of one dollar may be 
charged for all engravings having an area of ten square inches 



26 The School Paper 

or vinder ; while larger cuts are charged at the rate of lo cts. per 
sq. in. It should be made clear by the engraver if such minimum 
rate is to charged. 

Photographs also may be contracted for verbally. Reasonable 
prices should be secured on the various sizes of individual, ob- 
ject, and group pictures, and a guarantee of satisfaction should 
be had with every piece of work. The photographer should state 
the finish of the pictures (sepia, dark, light, etc.), the number of 
sittings, and the time within which he will complete his work. 

The half cabinet picture will be found a convenient size for the 
bust picture, while the full cabinet may be desirable for the full 
picture. To avoid shadows on the mats, the portrait should be 
composed of, or be printed on thin paper. A medium dark fin- 
ish may be depended upon to give satisfactory results, but pleas- 
ing unique effects may be had by employing other devices. As 
far as possible, all pictures should be taken in the studio, where 
the most favorable conditions for photographing are sure to be 
found. 

IV. 

THE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER. 

In general, what has been said in the preceding chapters will 
be found to apply to the school newspaper almost as much as to 
the magazine. Theoretically, the duties of the management may 
seem to be the same ; but in actual practice the work on the news- 
paper will be found to be more specialized, particularly that part 
which has to do with the handling of news. It has a peculiar 
character because of the quickness with which the work must be 
handled. 

The same problems that have to be met by the daily papers, 
and even by the school magazine, must be met to a certain de- 
gree by the school newspaper. Great care must be exercised in 
maintaining an honest and candid policy. The school paper will 
not probably be called upon to defend libel suits ; still the same 
care should be taken to avoid liability — or, what is just as im- 
portant, to avoid doing some one harm, or stirring up bitter feel- 
ings or contentions in the school — that is required in profession- 
al newspaperdom. Under no circumstances should statements be 
made, or charges brought, alTecting any one s character. 

The surest way to make the paper a strong influence in the 
school is to be fair and honest in all that concerns the conduct of 
the paper. Strong, thoughtful editorials, original and serious ar- 
ticles, and a policy that encourages the free expression of student 
opinion, go far toward strengthening this influence. 

To bring the paper to its highest standard the ideas of the 
leading daily newspapers should be imitated to a considerable ex- 
tent. For the dailies are the result of long and careful experi- 



The School Paper 27 

ment and study, and the methods they employ are what experi- 
ence has shown to be psychologically and practically the best that 
can be devised. 

The practice of most American dailies is to tell the whole story 
in the opening paragraph of the ordinary news-story. The ideas 
to be embodied in this are the principal, the place, the time, the 
action, and the manner or circumstances in which the action was 
performed. The story of course lies in the event which is of most 
interest, or in other words, has the most news-value. The con- 
secutive order of principal, place, and time is to be observed in 
practically all news-stories. 

Editorial comments should never be made in news articles. A 
news article should be strictly news, and not the writer's opinion. 
Of course, a signed article may disregard this rule. 

In applying the ideas of the dailies to the school newspaper, 
the make-up will be found of especial importance. The frorrt 
page should contain the most important articles. Each should be 
introduced by a heavy black heading, and perhaps one or more 
sub-headings. Advertisements and joshes should not be tolerat- 
ed on this page. Ordinarily, single column heads are to be pre- 
ferred. 

Of the succeeding pages, one that occupies a prominent posi- 
tion is selected for the editorial page. The names of the staff, if 
given, should be on this page, and certain general information, 
such as place and time of publication, notice of postal entry, and 
subscription prices. The editorials are of course on this page. 
Aside from these, special articles by members of the student 
body or faculty on topics of general school interest or education- 
al matters form a feature that has proved very successful. 

The remaining pages may be assigned to other articles or 
news, and any special departments. 

The letters and spaces in a line of the heading should be count- 
ed, and all headings made from this standard. The slide head- 
ing e. °'- 

" FRENCH MILITARY AlAN 

KILLED: AIRSHIP FALLS 
will usually give the best effect, owing to the larger white space, 
which prevents a crowded appearance. For sub-headings, ma- 
chine headings, i. e., caps of the same font as the body of the let- 
ter-press, suffice ; so when no display is required. Deciding upon 
what will make an effective head-line calls into play no small de- 
gree of judgment. A rule sometimes given for the news head- 
ing is, always include a verb ; the head-line is to attract atten- 
tion, and where there is no action the attention is not apt to be 
attracted. 

A box, a border or outline around a portion of the type, is an 



2S The School Paper 

effective means of distinguishing an article that should be given 
especial prominence. When a box is desired, note should be 
made on the copy, as the type has to be set narrow to admit the 
border, lilack-faced type is often employed for boxed matter. 

It need hardly be said that illustrations, photographic half- 
tones and line cuts according to the nature of the suject, add 
greatly to the effect of the newspaper. 

V. 
OPERATION: PLANS FOR MATERIAL. 

The operation includes the planning and assigrmient of the 
work and the collection and arrangement of the material in a 
canner and within such limits of time as are suitable to the 
printer. 

The stories which are to appear should be planned with regard 
to the policy and style of the publication, and according to the 
subject, and the space it is to fill. Of course much depends upon 
the style of paper to be issued, in selecting a story. In a monthly 
magazine the news stories, fiction, and essays, play a very dif- 
ferent role from what they do in the school newspaper, but the 
selection and relative importance given each is determined in 
much the same way. 

The following scheme includes practically all the material 
found in school magazines, and is given as an aid in making a 
selection of stories for the souvenir magazine. It may be found 
helpful also in making a selection of material for the monthly is- 
sue, and even or the school newspaper : — 

Introduction — dedication, table of contents, title. 

Literary — essays, fiction, school organizations, faculty (names, 
etc.), departments of school study. 

Class — graduating exercises, including president's address, 
oration, senior week program, prophecy, etc., poem, history, will, 
song, officers, teachers. 

Editorial. 

School Notes — dramatics, lectures, entertainments, elections, 
historical observances, special student or school distinctions, gen- 
eral student activities. 

Organizations — debating, alunmi, societies — literary, honorary, 
social, etc. 

Athletics — school records, football, etc. 

Joshes. 

Advertisements. 

The cuts are suggested to a large extent by the names and con- 
text of the articles. The kind of cut, whether copper half tone, 
zinc half tone, line cut, etc., should be determined at the outset. 
Close estimates should also be made as to what office the cut is to 
iill and its size, shape, and price. 



Tut School Paper 29 

Although the use of illustrations may be Hmited by the lack of 
money, it is always important that they be given proper atten- 
tion. Where the funds are limited it is advisable to economize 
on the printing or some other part, and to record the most im- 
portant features of school life, and the most interesting activities. 



VI. 
PREPARATION OF COPY. 

Copy or manuscript should be prepared in the manner which 
convention and usage have adopted as the most convenient. 
Some details deserve mention here. 

All copy should be written on one side of sheets about 7x9 
inches. Typewritten copy is preferable, but legible manuscript in 
pencil or ink will do. Wide spaces should be left between the 
lines. The pages of an article should be numbered and fastened 
together. Ample margin should be left at the top of the sheet, 
so that it may be read without unfastening. The number of 
words should be noted by the writer on the first page of every 
article. In manuscript, it is well to indicate paragraphs by the 
sign m), and to use a small cross (x) 'instead of the period. 
Pro])er nam.es should be accurately spelled, and in manuscript,, 
printed or written very legibly. 

The student editor should know the number of words per col- 
umn inch of the sizes of type regularly used, and also the average 
number of words to the page of his regular copy-paper. 

The articles that are to appear are decided upon at an early 
date, and assigned to the staff-writers. This may be the task of 
the assistant editor. He should state the subject of every story, 
the length, the manner of handling, and the time within which it 
must be finished. The number of words in an article will be de- 
termined by the space it is intended to fill, and assignments 
should be made with this clearly in mind. 

When the story is completed, it is turned over to the editor or 
an assistant, who blue pencils errors and makes necessary altera- 
tions. Among the various things he has to do at this time is tc 
see that the story is given a proper heading, and that it is of the 
desired length. He should mark on the copy the size and kind of 
type to be used, whether ornamental initial letter is to introduce 
the story, and whether it is to be run in single or double column. 

The editor should examine the article, if this preliminary work 
is done by an assistant, to make sure that it conforms with his 
plans and policy. Next, the work is passed upon by the censor, 
if there is one, after which it is ready for the printer. 



30 The School Paper 

VII. 

ILLUSTRATIONS: PHOTOGRAPHS AND THEIR PREPARATION. 

No part of the production of a large magazine presents so 
many problems, or offers so many opportunities for costly mis- 
takes or financial embarrassment. The number, size, and kind of 
cuts or illustrations should be carefully worked out beforehand. 
Then it should be seen to that the material is in proper shape for 
the kind of engraving for which it is designed. And, lastly, di- 
rections as to the kind of cut and the size it is to be should be 
plainly marked on the copy. 

Photographs cannot be secured at too early a date. Numbers 
of school papers have gone on the rocks for no other reason than 
that the pictures v/ere received late. More tune and labor is re- 
quired in preparing the pictures for the engraver than is at fir.st 
apparent. 

In order to guard against the inevitable straggler it is advis- 
able to name a date for delivery of the pictures, much in advance 
of the dates specified in the contracts. The students should be 
especially urged to have their pictures taken within good limits 
of time. 

Duplicate pictures should usually be obtained of persons whose 
pictures appear more than once in any issue of the paper. When 
the pictures can be had from the engraver in sufficient time for 
remounting, it is possible to use the picture a number of times, 
provided of course that the size and the shape are in keeping each 
time. As a considerable sum may be saved in case of an exten- 
sive use of engravings, the editor should consider the possibility 
of this remounting in fixing the time at which certain pictures 
should be turned over to the engraver. 

Photographs are always converted into half tone engravings. 
This being understood, the only problem to be solved is whether 
the half tone should be copper or zinc. 

The copper half tone as the name implies is composed of cop- 
per. It gives a very distinct picture, but its use is often curtailed 
by the fact that it is the most expensive. The zinc half tone may 
generally be distinguished from the copper by the character of 
the impression. This cut is in reality not composed of zinc, but 
of an amalgam of zinc and copper. 

A picture which is especially clear and distinct can be repro- 
dued in a zinc half tone almost if not quite as successfully as in 
copper. A hazy picture, however, makes a poor zinc half tone. 
Copper should be used in this case, especially if the picture is to 
occupy a prominent place in the paper. 

Color plates are often desirable on insert pages, covers, and 
display work. These are expensive, as additional plates are re- 
quired for every color. Another expense arising from the use 



The School Paper 31 

of these cuts is the additional printing charges. The original 
picture should not be colored ; the colors and the parts to be col- 
ored need only be indicated on the drawing when it is turned 
over to the engraver. 

Photographs should usually be mounted on paper, cardboard, 
or other material that will serve the purpose of a mat before be- 
ing sent to the engraver. Many engravers do the mounting, but 
a considerable sum of money can be saved if the editor mounts 
his own pictures. The purpose in mounting is to facilitate the 
handling of the work by the engraver, to secure artistic effects, 
and to have an arrangements based on some principle. 

The actual mounting is done with library paste or glue. Much 
work and time is required, however, in trimming and arranging 
the pictures, and illustrating the mats, and getting a proper size 
of pictures and mats for reduction presents a difficult problem. 

The trimming should be done with accuracy and care. Each 
picture should be cut according to certain artistic principles of 
balance. If an individual is represented, his head should be 
wholly in the upper half of the piture. In general in a bust pic- 
ture the mouth should be just above the center line and equal 
space or back ground should be left on each side of the head. 
Object pictures should be treated in much the same manner, al- 
lowing neither too much foreground nor too much background. 
The general idea in balancing pictures is to make the center of 
interest coincide with the central point of the paper on which they 
are printed. 

Practically all pictures are trimmed, whether mounted or not. 
Some are brought to the proper size for reduction by trimming, 
and others are trimmed in order to obtain a uniformity in size 
and shape. 

An oval form of picture gives a pleasing effect, but when the 
number of photographs to be handled is large, it is advisable, for 
economy in time and work, to use a rectangular form. 

A convenient device in trimming the pictures is to use a pen- 
knife and a metal or celluloid pattern. Rectangular pictures may 
be cut quickly and easily with a paper cutter, which can usually 
be obtained from the photographer for the purpose. 

The principle of proportional space should be observed in 
trimming the pictures. The meaning of this will be more fully 
explained in the paragraph on reduction, below. 

Mats are usually composed of heavy paper and illustrated with 
ink or wash drawings. They are always rectangular in shape, 
but vary in size and dimensions according to the desired effect. 
Distinctive finishing of paper can be reproduced to a considerable 
degree in the engraving, but colors cannot be obtained without 
the use of color plates. 

The shape of the mat and the tone of the pictures should har- 



32 The School Paper 

monize. The mat should never be more striking than the por- 
trait in any engraving. This undesirable effect is often obtained 
when too much of the mat is in evidence, or when there is not 
enough contrast between the picture and the mat. 

The arrangement of pictures should be made according to their 
importance, size and number. For example, in case of the edi- 
torial staff, the editor-in-chief should occupy the most important 
position, which is in the centre of the mat. The subordinates 
should be grouped about him with reference to their office on the 
staff. A large staff may occupy two or more pages^; then some 
other important member of the staff should occupy the position 
on the succeeding pages that the editor did on the first. This of 
course refers to the arrangement of bust pictures on the mats; 
but the same principle applies to the arranging of the people 
when a group picture is to be taken. 

The individual pictures are arranged on the mats in all sorts of 
ways. But there are three general methods for the arrangement 
of pictures of a class which should be noticed. These are whole 
page cuts, partial page cuts, and individual cuts. The first two 
may or may not bear art work on the mats, and the pictures are 
often arranged artistically in columns or rows, on pages part of 
which is made up of composition. 

Full page cuts are gaining in favor in many recent issues. One 
of the advantages of this plan consists in having so many pic- 
tures together. 

A large number of schools employ the scheme of having cuts 
the standard height of the page ancl half its width. The object 
of this is to have each picture followed by the composition refer- 
ring to it. A plan somewhat similar to this, but which allows 
more composition and a fewer number of cuts, is to have the cut 
in the upper half of the page. Cuts of this kind embody about 
six pictures when running down the side of the page, and three 
when in the upper half of the page. 

On the standard size of page, from nine to sixteen pictures 
may be placed on a page, without showing too much background, 
crowding the pictures, or making them too small. A medium of 
about twelve pictures will be sure to give a pleasing effect. 

VIII. 
ILLUSTRATIONS — CONTINUED. 

Reduction of pictures depends much upon the size of the pic- 
tures as well as that of the mat. It is not necessary to reduce 
pictures in making engravings, but it is usually advisable, and 
especially convenient. That there would be considerable difficul- 
ty in handling and obtaining pictures the exact size that they ap- 
pear in print is evident. 



Thu School Pape;r 33 

If several pictures on a mat are of uniform size, it naturally 
follows that the figures in the engraving will be uniform also. 
This fact must be understood. One can reduce two pictures of 
different sizes to the same size in making separate engravings, 
and with a different reduction. But he cannot expect two pic- 
tures of different size on the same mat to appear the same size in 
the cut. There would be the same proportional diff'erence in the 
figures of the cut as there was in the original pictures. 

The process of engraving is analogous to copying a photo- 
graph. The engraving which corresponds to the second photo- 
graph is proportional in every respect to the original picture. 
For example, a picture 2x4 inches will when reduced to a height 
of one inch have a width of two inches ; the dimensions will not 
be 1x4 inches, as is sometimes thoughtlessly assumed. 

Any reduction can be made, but good results will usually be 
obtained in half tones by using a mat a size and a half larger 
than the desired cut. It often happens, however, that pictures 
cannot be adapted to this scale of reduction. Below is a table of 
the principle sizes of cuts according to the two-thirds reduction: 
Original or mat Reproduction or cut. 

6x4 1-2 reduced two-thirds 4x3 

6x9 reduced two-thirds 4x6 

6 1-4x10 1-2 reduced two-thirds 4 1-2x7 

The proportional diagonal is a graphical means of ascertain- 
ing the proportional sizes of mats. Draw a figure using the di- 
mensions of the prospective cut. Draw and indefinitely extend 
the diagonal of this figure. Then any rectangle that can be made 
to have any portion of this line as its diagonal will reduce to the 
size of the first figure drawn. If the diagonal of any figure does 
not coincide with that of the graf, then trim the picture until it 
does. The idea is further explained by the following equation ; 
the area of the original or mat is to the area of the cut as the 
diagonal of the mat is to the diagonal of the cut, or A :a equals 
D:d. 

Much time and labor will be saved if standard sizes are adopt- 
ed for the various styles of engravings, pictures, and mats. 

Names should be placed on the mats beneath each picture. 
This should be done in India ink. The names may be placed un- 
der the whole engraving, in type, but for best results printing on 
the mats is advised. On a dark mat this may be done with China 
white. Captions should accompany every cut when turned in to 
the printer. 

IX. 
ILLUSTRATIONS, CONTINUED: DRAWINGS. 

Drawings may be made in ink, pencil, charcoal, crayon, wash 
or oil paints. Drawings which have more than two tones of color 



34 The School Paper 

are converted into half tone engravings. Charcoal and pencil 
drawings are usually chosen for this purpose, but any sort of 
drawing may be made into a halftone. Ink line drawings, or 
more generally drawings which have only two tones, are made 
into line cuts. The line cut is ihc" cheapest form of engraving. It 
is especially valuable in the cartoon, tail-piece, heading cuts, and 
general illustrations. 

An impression of a line cut resembles the original drawing in 
every respect. It may be distinguished by the fact that it always 
appears as masses of black and white in contrast. 

The drawing for a line cut should be in India ink, on white or 
gray paper. Blue does not take efifect in the engraving process, 
and yellow or red give uncertain results. The drawing should 
be sufficiently large to allow a large reduction, four times the 
^ize of the desired engraving, or even larger. Slight errors, hard 
to avoid in amateur work, disappear in a large reduction. 

A firm outline is advisable in line drawings ; fine cob-web lines 
should be avoided. !Many good ideas may be gained by observ- 
ing any well illustrated magazine. Drawings should never be 
copied, but the ideas may be imitated to a considerable extent. 
The lettering, the lines, the shadows, the enclosing box, and the 
technique, are principles w^ell worth the young artist's notice. 

Most of the common ink drawing should be done on bristol 
board. Several other things are worthy of mention. Egg shell 
paper gives a dotted efifect in a line cut when rubbed with a 
Blaisdail pencil. The outline in this kind of picture may be made 
with ink. Ross board gives a parallel line effect. The drawing 
is made and the white portion is scratched off with a safety razor 
blade. 

Soft lines may be obtained in a half tone engraving by em- 
ploying charcoal or pencil. Wash drawings are often used to 
great advantage. They give an efifect similar to that of a photo- 
graph. 

Embossings, frequently employed on covers and inserts, are 
illustrations or lettering in relief. They are reproduced from 
black and white wash drawings. 

It should always be indicated on the drawing what part is to 
be in relief ; as either the black or the white can be raised. In 
making a drawing for an embossing the artist should make 
enough contrast to distinguish the various parts. For instance, 
in a drawing of a building it is well to fill in the mass of the 
structure in black, and leave white the cornice, the edge of the 
roof, the corners, and the doors and windows. 

The embossing may be merely a stamp, like the impression of 
a seal, or it may be printed. A printed embossing requires an 
additional plate. This can usually be made from the drawing. 
Color plates are required if the printing is not monochrome, just 
as for other color cuts. 



The; School Paper 35 

X. 

PROOFS. 

Proofs, that is printed impressions of the type or cuts, are giv- 
en by both the printer and the engraver. The printer ordinarily 
gives two proofs, one for corrections, the other for the dummy. 

The printer's proofs are long, narrow strips of paper repre- 
senting what is known as a galley of type. The dummy-proof is 
usually on colored paper. 

Proof-reading is the name applied to the process of correcting 
typographical errors. The mistakes are indicated in the margin, 
and the printer makes the corrections to correspond. A separa- 
tion of letters, misspelling of a word, wrong paragraphing, or 
other simple error can be indicated by a sign in the margin. The 
correct spelling of a proper name, or any correction which the 
operator may misinterpret, should be written clearly in the mar- 
gin. Every one ought to learn and use the technical proofread- 
er's signs, which can be foimd in any dictionary. 

Words should not be added or omitted to suit the whim of the 
reader, since the omission or addition of a word often necessi- 
tates the resetting of a whole paragraph. Frequent occurrence 
of such corrections is apt to cause trouble with the printer, who 
is put to considerable expense or loss of time in resetting the 
type. A careful editor will have his copy in such shape that the 
proof-reader will need only correct typographical errors, not 
original misspellings or mistakes in diction. At the same time, it 
is the proof-reader's duty to see that no error passes his pencil. 

A page-proof should be required after the work is further ad- 
vanced. This is for the purpose of correcting any mistakes in 
arrangement of matter on the pages, or changing the order of 
matter in the book; also to make certain that the printer has cor- 
rected all the typographical errors noted on the first proof. It is 
not supposed that any errors not so marked will be corrected at 
this time ; if typographical alterations are made now, they are 
charged as extras. 

A dummy is a blank book resembling the prospective maga- 
zine in size and shape, in which the editor, by pasting in portions 
of the proof, indicates the arrangement of the matter to be in- 
cluded. It is essential that every story and cut should be in its 
proper place, as the printer follows this dummy in every detail in 
making up the final volume. 

The editor should begin at the beginning, designate even the 
fly-leaves and the title-page, and continue through the book until 
every story, cut, caption, and advertisement is in exactly the place 
it is intended to occupy in the final impression. Pages are num- 
bered at this time. Due care must be exercised, for one mistake 
shifts the order of the entire book. 



^6 The School Paper 

The proofs should be cut into portions somewhat shorter than 
the space they are to occupy in the magazine, as the type is 
spread out and made to occupy more space by the use of leads. 

The inserts are included at this time and the page numbers 
added to the table of contents. 

One kind of type should be selected and- used throughout the 
book. A page heading adds to the appearance oi a page, and if 
a cut has not already been provided some plain, but artistic, line 
heading can be selected now. The printer can oiTer some valu- 
able suggestions in this matter. 

The departments of the book may be separated to advantage by 
the use of pages bearing the department title only. The effect 
of this device is generally pleasing and worth the space. 

If the composition does not fill the page and a glaring blank 
space remains, it is well to use the tail-piece. 

Cases may occur where the articles are too long for their given 
space ; then it is a good plan to cut out a few lines or a para- 
graph, or in rare cases to use smaller type. 

XL 

THE PRINTING OF THE PAPER. 

Type is set either by a linotype machine or by hand. The lino- 
type machine has a keyboard somewhat similar to the keyboard 
on a typewriter. An operator taps the keys, then moulds or 
forms drop from a case, and are pushed in front of a pot of mol- 
ten metal. When a column line of forms is in front of the metal 
pot the operator pulls a lever, and the moulten lead is forced into 
the forms. As each form bears an engraved impression of a let- 
ter the product of this operation is a line of type. The metal 
cools very rapidly and is ready for printing almost immediately 
on being formed. After the line is moulded the forms are me- 
chanically distributed to their respective places in the case. 

The compositor of course lifts each letter separately in setting 
type by hand. Hand composition is more laborious, and more 
expensive to the printer, and yet as a rule the present method of 
linotype setting gives no advantage in price to the publisher. 

After being set, type is placed on a tray called a galley, a term 
which is extended to the type in the galley. At the top of each 
galley the operator or compositor places his name together with 
the number of the galley. 

Proofs are made from the galleys, by the use of a roll press. 

After the corrections marked on the proofs have been made in 
the composition, it is disposed into pages or columns. 

For the most part, the names or the styles of the type are fan- 
ciful, yet Roman, Old English, Gothic, Egyptian, Clarendon, etc., 
are in general use, and it is convenient to be able to recognize 
them. 



The; School Papijr 37 

Formerly each size of type had a name also; as, Pica, Small 
Pica, Long Primer, etc., but with the adoption of a common 
standard by the type founders of the United States these names 
have become obsolete, and type is known as 6 point, 8 point, 10 
point, etc. Eight and ten point type correspond to Brevier and 
Long Primer, and are the sizes the student printer will have oc- 
casion to know best. 

Each style and size of type has a special use. Of course a great 
deal more matter can be condensed into small than large type, but 
small type is often a strain on the eye and a detriment to the typo- 
graphical beauty of the page. 

Display in newspapers, job work, and often in magazines is 
effected by the use of black face type. Features that should have 
special emphasis appear to advantage in black face type. Capi- 
tals are often used to fill the same ofhce as the black face type, 
but with less satisfactory results. 

Italics are used to distinguish words and phrases in the text. 
Words of foreign languages are often placed in italics. 

Leads, thin pieces of metal less than the type height and the 
length of a column line, are placed between the lines. The pur- 
pose of this is to prevent a crowded effect on the page, and to 
have the composition fill the allotted space. 

When the composition in the galleys has been separated into 
pages, sufficiently leaded, the cuts, initial letters, the page num- 
bers, and the headings added, the whole is adjusted in a form. 

The_ form is the name applied to the metal after it has been 
locked' up or tightly fastened in an iron frame known 
a* a chase. Several pages may be included in one form, the num- 
ber varying with the style of press used and the size of the pages. 
If a cyHnder press is used, as it is by many book publishing 
houses, the number of pages in one form will include sixteen or 
twenty of the average sized pages. Only one or two pages are 
printed at one time on the platen press. 

The form is placed in the press and securely locked in its 
place. A system of rollers inks the surface and the paper is 
brought in contact with it. On the cylinder press the paper is 
fed on a revolving cylinder. The form is below and moves with 
a reciprocating motion. When the paper turns up the impres- 
sion has been made. 

A make ready is used to bring out the less distinct parts in 
print. This is usually made by pasting thin pieces of paper on 
the mat that covers the cylinder. This presses the paper against 
the type in certain places with a greater force. Great skill is re- 
quired in preparing a make-ready, as even the smallest portions 
of a cut often need building up. 

When the sheets are dry, they are arranged and folded in coti- 
secutive order, preparative to binding. The insert pages and the' 



38 The School Paper 

fly leaves are placed in their respective positions and each book is 
heavily pressed, to make it compact for the stitching that fol- 
lows. The edges of the book are next trimmed and last the cover 
is glued on. The book is now finished ; and after it has dried it 
is ready for distribution. 

XII. 
THE PROCESSES OF ENGRAVING. 

At one time, wood engravings were the only means of illustrat- 
ing. Only in recent years has the metal engraving appeared, and 
at present engravings are almost exclusively made of metal. The 
work of the student publisher will wholly deal with metal plates 
nailed on blocks of wood to give them type height. Engravings 
of this kind are called lialf tones or line cuts according to their 
style. 

The tojie cut is a metal plate composed of either copper or a 
zinc amalgam, bearing a reproduction of picture represented, by 
a peculiar arrangement of dots. The process of reproducing a 
picture on this plate is similar to photographing a picture. A 
finely grained glass screen is placed over the original picture, for 
the purpose of breaking up the light rays, which pass from it to 
the negative which is made. The negative is brought to act on 
the metal plate which previously has been sensitised with acid. 
Wherever the light rays strike, the acid is set in action and con- 
sequently eats the metal. 

When the acid has acted sufficiently, the plate is rinsed and 
scoured to free it from any further effects of the acid- !f 
further biting of the metal is desired it is done with a machine, 
or graver. 

The cut is completed bv trimming and nailing it to a ])lock. [f 
for any reason, it is desired that the impression on the cut be 
made visible, this can be done by rubbing soft chalk over the sur- 
face. 

The dots which form the impression on the halftone engrav- 
ing are made by the intersection of finely graded lines, and are 
arranged in such a manner as to produce a picture in high lights, 
half tones, and full tones. There are never any lines in a half tone. 
When cuts of this kind are in the press, only the dots come in 
contact with the ink, and the corresponding printed impression 
is in reality made up of properly arranged dots. Many times 
these dots are so minute and so close together that a magnify- 
ing glass is necessary to distinguish them. 

Tone cuts are made from photographs, oil and water color 
paintings, and crayon, wash, pencil and charcoal drawings. From 
this it can be seen that practically every kind of ])icture can be 
made into a tone cut. 

Line cuts are made in much the same wav as are the half tone 



The; School Pape^r 39 

engravings. No screen is employed in this process and the metal 
is nsually zinc. 

The rnic line cut is made up of a solid protrusion of metal. 
The printed impression of a line cut is in black and white mass- 
es and, with the exception of size, resembles the original picture 
in every respect. 

Engravings of this kind are made from distinct and clean cut 
drav/ings in black and white— either pen etchings, or charcoal, 
pencil, and crayon drawings. 

Engravings can be printed in colors from either line or half- 
tone plates. Every additional color necessitates an extra plate. 
An extensive use of color cuts is prohibited more by the addi- 
tional expense in printing than by the cost of the extra plate. 

The background or portions of the background are often det- 
rimental to the artistic effect of a half tone engraving. At other 
times the rectangular form of the cut may not be desired. These 
defects may be remedied by having the engraver chisel out the 
undesired portion of the cut. When this is done on a limited 
scale the cost will not be heavy, since the work is usually charged 
for by the hour. 

On insert cuts, where it is often desirable to have a cut of ir- 
regular outline, chiselling may be done to good advantage. But 
letters or especially irregular edges should not be chiselled as 
much time is required in the work and the expense is large. 
Where letters are desired as part of a tone drawing a combina- 
tion of half tone and line cut is advised. The picture may appear 
hi half tone, and the lettering in line and tacked on the same 
block. 

When several individual pictures appear on one half tone, any 
of the number may be chiselled out and reblocked. This plan 
enables the school newspaper to make an extensive use of old en- 
gravings. 

In a magazine where elegance and uniformity are desired, the 
common newspaper cut should not be used. A coarse screen is 
used in making cuts of this kind, and the impression has a speck- 
led appearance. 

XIII. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

When the papers have been received from the printer, they 
should be carefully counted, to ascertain whether or not the num- 
ber provided for in the contract have been delivered. 

Distribution of a weekly or monthly issue of a paper to regu- 
lar subscribers presents little difficulty if managed systematically. 
The method employed will depend on the organization of the 
students, the plan of the building, and to some extent on the dis- 



40 The School Paper 

cipline of the school. Points to be regarded, if circumstances 
permit, are — distribution from some central point, at a definite 
and regular time, so far as may be simultaneously throughout 
the building, and the number assigned to each class room or car- 
rier definitely counted out. 

The annual needs more machinery, as it is frequently sold by 
advance subscription, to be delivered on presentation of receipt, 
and apt to be put on sale at the same time as it is distributed. 
The first precaution is to see that the count of the paper agrees 
with the number contracted for. This done, the number already 
sold should be set aside and delivered to receipt-holders on de- 
mand. One assistant at least should be detailed to deliver these, 
while another or others attend to cash sales. In a large school 
the editor or business manager should oversee the work and as- 
sign the details to the assistants. It will be found helpful to have 
lists of the names of the subscribers and check as the delivery is 
made. One assistant may with profit be detailed as inspector, to 
receive and scrutinize receipts which he then passes to a check- 
ing clerk, or else retain the receipt and call out the name or num- 
ber to the distributing clerk. 

Lost receipts seem inevitable. When the circulation of the pa- 
per is large, it is best to refuse to adjust claims of lost receipts 
until the sales are complete, so that the receipts can be checked 
over to see that the one in question has not been presented. Then, 
if the stub in the receipt book shows the sale, the magazine may 
be delivered. 



OCT 28 \^« 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



020 313 949 4 



